Eric Clapton

“The man influenced millions of guitarists, and he impacted my playing in so many indelible ways. The stuff he did with the Bluesbreakers and Cream and Blind Faith, it’s like you can't believe that all came from one guy.

“Although he’s done hard rock and pop and other things, Clapton is fundamentally a blues player. That’s his true passion. You can really hear this in his work with John Mayall And The Bluesbreakers. It's almost shocking how fully developed a guitarist he already was at the time. His phrasing, his choices of notes... astounding.

“The 'Beano' record [Blues Breakers With Eric Clapton, 1966] is a classic. I sat with it when I was a kid, SG in hand, and I studied it like a textbook. Seriously. I learned it note-for-note, backwards and forwards. It's that great. Jamming along to Eric was my homework. And unlike my friends, I really loved doing my homework!"